dolphins, pizzas. theme parks. north korean leaders trying to show their nation is changing and that their people are content. our cameras go inside the reclusive nation to find out more. welcome to nhk world "newsline." north korean authorities have been promoting their country to the world, even as they maintain their guarded stance.

a top official addressed the u.n. general assembly on monday for the first time since kim jong-un took power. he said the new leader opened the door to a near era, but it's hard to know what's happening inside north korea. even when you go there separating reality from ruse can be difficulty. >> we've been visiting the north korean capital pyongyang since saturday. we went to a popular new attraction on tuesday. staff at this aquarium say this dolphin show started in the summer. the highlights is a dance sequence involving a woman and dolphins. the performance is the first of its kind in north korea.

>> translator: it's great fun. >> translator: it's the first time i've seen the dolphins up close. it was exciting. >> excitement and fun is what the new leader is promoting of kim jong-un created a government agency responsible for overseeing theme parks. experts say he's trying to define himself as a caring leader. the idea is simple. children, adults, even uniformed soldiers who flock to popular spots have a good time, then think of kim. >> translator: it's great. >> translator: kim jong-un cares for us as workers. i can't tell you how thankful we are. i feel like i can relieve a whole day's stress by enjoying attractions here. >> it's not just rides but restaurants, too. north korean officials want the

world to know their country is changing. this newly opened italian restaurant offers 11 different types of pizza. its popular with locals, and it's also attracting tourists. >> in the western media you don't see stuff like this, so it's really interesting. >> reporter: people in north korea are currently enjoying a traditional holiday period. they take time to honor their ancestors and relax. their leader is never far from their minds. >> translator: kim jong-un is devoting himself to run the country to better its people's lives. we're enjoying the holiday, praising kim jong-un and the workers party. >> reporter: the people we met make up a small percentage of the population. north korean authorities only allow foreign media to interact with those who are well-off. u.n. world food program representatives estimate 60 million people or 70% of the population are not getting enough food. heavy rains and several typhoons this summer have made the situation worse, and they expect north koreans, mainly in rural areas, will face a severe food shortage this coming winter.

improving the standard of living across the country is one of kim jong-un's many challenges, although unlike amusement parks or restaurants, he and his officials aren't keen to show or talk about that side of life inside their nation. nhk world, pyongyang. sus the explosions happened near an officer's club in the

northern city, the deadly blast also injured dozens of people. atlanta government forces are also tracking militants online. the free syrian army strengthened his offensive last thursday in an effort to win control of the city. government forces responded with fierce air strikes. a free syrian army spokesperson tells nhk that assad mobilized 3,000 tanks in aleppo. the people at japan's new nuclear watchdog are putting lessons learned from the fukushima daiichi disaster into practice. members of of the nuclear regulation authority want to expand evacuation zones around the nuclear plants, and they say residents should be armed with iodine tablets to protect against radiation exposure. any released a draft of new guidelines.

nra officials released new guidelines. to explain the risks before distribution. they also say that maximum distance between nuclear plants and their emergency response centers should be increased from the current 20 kilometers to 30. they would prohibit locating these off-site buildings within 5 kilometers of facilities. it also includes proposals instructing residents to stay indoors during disasters. iodine tablets should be distributed to people living within 30 miles of a nuclear plant. the tablets can have side effects so the new guidelines call for authorities to explain the risks before distribution. they also say that maximum distance between nuclear plants and their emergency response centers should be increased from

the current 20 kilometers to 30. it would prohibit locating these offsite buildings within five kilometers of these facilities. the fukushima daiichi response center was that close to the plant. high radiation levels forced staff to evacuate. while officials at the nra plan for future challenges, they're also focused on the present. they designate the fukushima plant a special nuclear facility by the end of the month. they can supervise the decommissioning process. tokyo electric power company is straps the facility in line with the plan submitted to the government. the nuclear regulation authority currently has no input. designated fukushima daiichi as a special nuclear facility allows nra officials to submit plans to stabilize the cooling system and prevent the spread of radioactive pollution. the authority would also be able to monitor on-site work and the development of safety technology and it could order revisions to the decommissioning process.

>> translator: we will do our utmost to ensure a safe decommissioning process, anticipating a wide range of possibilities. >> nra chair says the decommissioning job is expected to take about 30 years. samsung electronics is the authority will not make judgments on whether idle reactors should be allowed to be restructured once they meet current standards. coming up -- the land of hope. a japanese director tells a fictional story about the threat of nuclear power. samsung electronics is upping the ante in its ongoing legal war with apple. the south korean and u.s. technology giants have been

fighting each other in the courts over technology for smartphones and other mobile devices. now the people at samsung say they've added apple's iphone5 to a patent infringement lawsuit in the united states. nhk world has more. >> reporter: samsung alleges apple's latest smartphone violates eight patents. it targets technologies for installing photos. the two firms have been fighting similar trials in ten countries including in japan. samsung received the green light on monday from a u.s. district court in california in another case. the company can resume sales of its tablet device, the galaxy tab 10.1 in the u.s. market. the court decided in june to temporarily ban sales, but apple has dominated the legal battle so far winning $1 billion compensation in a u.s. court. its lawyers are keeping up the pressure.

apple added four new samsung models to a list of products it says infringe apple's patents. this man is an expert on smartphone industries. he warns if the legal fit drags consumers could be the ones left to pick up the bill. >> as of now i don't think there's an impact for iphone because there's no decision made. with this patent case going on, there might be an increase in the price of the handset of the smartphone itself, so that is kind of the loose point for the user, the prices of the handset might go up, so that's not really good for users. >> reporter: the legal cases will be going through the courts for some time to come. some experts warn the only long-term winners in this epic battle will be the patent lawyers.

the asian development bank has revised downward its 2012 growth estimates for developing countries across the asia-pacific region. they say the slowdown in china and india contributed to the downgrade. the growth estimate this year is 6.1%. that's down from the april assessment of 6.9%. the estimate for 2013 was also cut to 6.7%. that's down from 7.3%. the economist also warned of downside risks stemming from the territory disputes involving japan, china and south korea. >> if you look at the overall trade pictures, it's that significant at this moment. if it lasts longer, maybe. so i think we should avoid it that. australia's trade deficit in august grew to the highest level in more than four years. the slowdown in china's economy is taking on a toll on

australian exports of iron ore and coal. officials at the australian bureau of stamm sticks announced it rose to $2 billion. looking in detail, exports fell to about $25 billion. that's down around 12% from a year ago in australian dollar terms. imports stood at about $27 billion. that's up 6% from the previous year based on a similar australian dollar comparison. last month the australian government downgraded the estimates of annual exports of iron ore due to the decline and demand from china am. japan's new finance minister is it urging the passage of the a japanese mining company has succeeded in extracting shale oil for the first time in the nation. a technician of the japan petroleum exploration showed black crude oil in a plastic at the oil and gas field in akita prefecture on oil. shale oil is contained in hard

rock layers deep underground. engineers started to drill on monday pumping acid 1800 meters into the ground to dissolve the hard bedrock. they will do further studies to find out whether they can prot from production. officials can produce up to 100 million barrels. that's equal to 10% of japan's annual crude oil consumption. executives at struggling semi conduct maker ransa say here's the latest market figures.

the asian development bank has raised its forecast for economic growth in myanmar. good evening. >> good evening, gene. the adb now pretickets myanmar's economy will grow 6.3% this year. the country was in the economic slow lane for many years compared with the performance of it's asean neighbors, but it seems the reforms of the president will help it become one of the region's best performers in 2012. the united states and other western countries have indicated they're ready to reward the president by easing economic sanctions. in a report released on wednesday, the adb says that's one reason for its more positive assessment. the bank's new forecast of 6.3 gdp forecast is 6.3% higher than its previous estimates in april. myanmar has a population of 60 million and is rich in natural resources. investors view the country as asia's last frontier and for southeast asia as a whole the

adb has maintained the growth forecast of 5.2%. for southeast asia as a whole, the gdp has maintained it's forecast at 1.3%. thailand's recovery from last year's floods as well as higher state spend inning malaysia and the philippines are contributing to growth. even so, the bank says the region won't be immune from the negative impact of the european debt crisis, and slowdown in the global economy. indonesia is another of the region's economic rising stars, but workers there aren't happy with growing income inequality. thousands have taken to the street demanding higher pay and better job security. the population of 240 million gives it the largest labor force in southeast asia. many of nose workers want a bigger share of the country's growing wealth. several major labor unions organized demonstrations across the country on wednesday. they boast a combined membership of about 2 million workers. more than 5,000 people holding flags and banners gathered at front gate of an industrial estate near the capital jakarta.

the estate is home to a number of factories operated by foreign firms. similar demonstrations in january forced many businesses to suspend operations. wednesday's protests seem to have passed off peacefully amid a large police presence. indonesia's economy is projected to expand more than 6% this year. indonesia domestic demand is booming as more workers join the ranks of the middle class. overseas businesses see huge potential in indonesia. more and more companies are choosing to invest in the country, but concerns are rising that labor discontent could interrupt the production and distribution of goods, denting economic growth. the asean maritime forum has kicked off in the philippines. senior officers from the group's ten members as well as experts on maritime issues are attending the three-day meeting.

the south china sea dispute wasn't on the official agenda for day one, but asean diplomatic sources say vietnam used the forum to call on the countries concerned to show restraint and cooperate to find a peaceful resolution. vietnam avoided mentioning the country by name, but its criticisms were clearly directed at china. and we're going to wrap up our bulletin from bangkok. a japanese film director

returned from the prestigious japanese international film festival with an award in hand. he directed "the land of hope" that was inspired by the nuclear disaster in fukushima. in pregnant woman is too afraid

to take off protective clothing. >> i've made my film extremely dramatic. i have made my es sense of the whole thing, i have tried to express it briefly and emphatically. some have visited again and again to hear from survivors. this area was once a disastrous zone. this is a 70-year-old resident

of fukushima. her house is 150 feet from the plant. a line was suddenly drawn through her land. she and her children evacuated their home. >> translator: i was shocked to hear about the no-go zone. i hadn't expected that. the air was no different on either side. why was the line drawn like that?

>> she wanted to show the anger of people like suki. after completing his work, sono went back to visit suki. he wanted suki to be the first to see the movie.

>> i'm relieved to hear her say this. everyone should take nuclear safety as a matter of personal concern. >> the film opens in japan later this month and it will be shown in theaters around the world. for an update on the weather forecast, here's mai. >> milixi is severe tropical

storm status, it's becoming an extra tropical system by friday, however this does not mean that the system is going to become weaker, especially with the wind. the winds could actually even get stronger. equivalent of a typhoon status, so do look out for those high winds in the region, up to about eight meters high. could still be possible in the next couple of days. considering rains, we have a report of 251 millimeters that has been found here in the islands due to this direct impact of the storm and the combination of the stationary frontal boundary that's lingering here for quite a while now. so both combined can still bring

a few showers across to some of the regions in japan. before but generally speaking we'll see write could be in isolated locations. east china will also see some clear skies, but we're across the south china sea, the philippines are ready. all right packing wi7bd gusts of 126 kilometers per hour. right now it's stationary, but as it does move towards that path, it will be bringing up to about 300 mill meeters in the next few days and that's heading towards the area and the real flooding is going to be at very high risk. taking a look at your temperatures, tokyo is 28.

so a really nice, really autumn like, so a little bit towards the warmer side for this month and manilla at 28, still in the 30s in the tropics. >> things are really cold out towards the north. here is what's happening, we have a cold front that's descending now toward the south, and ushering really cold air, they call this the arctic blast. what this is going to be doing is it's going to be dropping the temperatures dramatically so any kind of precipitation we see here, the rain could turn to mix or snow. accumulation could be as much as 10 centimeters across the higher elevations. downtown south here, critical fire weather still in place. now taking a look at temperatures, you can see that across much of the northern region, this is the high for your wednesday, but the other side of the jet stream is really still summer like in las vegas

at 37 degrees. let's move over to the european continent, things are move really nasty up here again. gusts could still be persisting across the british aisles, we could see about 40 millimeters in the next 24 hours precipitation weis in the uk. things looking fine over vienna at 22 degrees, still 25 in madrid, but london on the chillier side at 15 degrees.